Internal combustion locomotive



Nov. l5, 1932.

J. GEIGER INTERNAL coMusTloN LocoMoTIvE Filed oct. 17. 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. l5, 1932. GElGER 1,887,634

INTERNAL COMBUSTION LOCOMOTIVE Filed oct. 17. 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2Patented Nov. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEF GEIGER, OFAUGSBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM'. MASCHINENFABRIKAUGSBURG-NUERNBERG, AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, 0F AUGSBURG, GERMANY, A COR-PORATION 0F GERMANY INTERNAL COMBUSTION LCOMOTIVE Application filedOctober '177, 1927. Serial No. 226,666;

Diesel locomotives with compressed air transmission are known, in whichthe Diesel engine drives a separate compressor which supplies thecompressed air required for performing work in the locomotive cylinders.The construction in question is quite suitable for small and mediumlocomotives, but in the case of high power locomotives has the drawbackthat the whole installation becomes comparatively heavy and expensive.Moreover, these locomotives necessitate the use of recoolinginstallations for-the cooling .Water of the Diesel engines and thecompressor, which installations increase with the increase in the sizeof the locomotive, and in that way the difficulties of construction arestill further increased and in the case of very large engines, make iteven necessary to tow a separate cooling car.

The method of working according to the present invention has theadvantages of the compressed air transmission, Whilst avoiding thedrawbacks above referred to by again Ycompressing in the locomotivecylinders, to

the temperature of ignition of the fuel, the compressed air supplied bythe compressor p after it has done its work in the locomotive cylinders,and by then injecting fuel into the said compressed air. The Dieselengine has therefore to supply only a small portion of the locomotivepower, which is then increased in the locomotive cylinders owing to thelatter operating during thek second part of a working cycle as aninternal combustion engine, after having worked during the first part ofthe cycle as an air motor.

Before its admission into the locomotive cylinders, the compressed airis preferably preheated to such an extent that, after work has beenperformed, a compression to 'the pressures hitherto usual in locomotives(about 15 atmospheres) is sufficient for the Y automatic ignition of thefuel. For heating application of Josef Geiger, Serial No.`

94,516, filed March 13, 1926,.,for internal combustion locomotives,-which discloses subject matter embodied herein.

In the drawings, in which is disclosed a preferred embodiment of theinvention Fig. 1 illustrates an indicator diagram for the method ofworking in accordance with@ this invention;

f Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view with parts in section of alocomotive constricted in accordance with this invention; an

Fig. 3 discloses in the nine views marked Positions 1 to 9 respectivelythe positions of the piston, controlling valve and related parts ofthedriving cylinder of the locomotive during a' complete cycle ofoperation.

Compressed air at comparatively low pressure which is generated in aseparatecompressor b driven by the Diesel engine a (Figure 2), afterhaving been preheated to a suitably high temperaturc, is admitted intothe locomotive cylinder or cylinders as indicated by the line 1 2 of theindicatorldiagram of Figure 1. The heating of the compressed air couldbe e-Hected for instance by means of the exhaust gases from the Dieselengine in a heater cheated by the same. Let it be assumed that thecompressed air thus reheated before admission into the locomotivecylinder d has for instance a pressure of 8 atmospheres and atemperature of 350o C. From the points 2 to 3 of Figure 1 expansion ofthe compressed air takes place. Shortly before the dead center positionof the piston at 3 the controlled outlet valve e will be opened andduring the reversal of stroke will allow the compressed air to expand tosuch an extent that the pressure will be equalized with burnt gasestheri takes place. The locomotive at substantiall the end of fuelinjection are cylinder works during this stroke as an interindicated inos. 6 of Fig. 3, spontaneous, nal combustion engine. At 7, shortlybefore combustion of the fuel with the recompressed the end of thestroke, the outlet valve is air taking place during the period ofinjecopenedand then, up to the point 8 of Figure tion. The expansion ofthe combustion gases 1, the exhaust stroke follows. The end of the thentakes place as illustrated by the line expansionV of the compressed airat the point of Fig. 1.' At the point 7 the valve e again 4, and the endof the expulsion of the burnt opens communication between the passage hgases at `the point 8 are controlled by one and the exhaust passagez",as indicated in and the' same control element, viz: the. cam Pos. 7 ofFig. 3, to permit the escape of the disc g having the two cams gf1 andg2 which exhaust gases. The exhaust gases are'exare designedaccordingly. Beginning 4at 8, panded from the cylinder up to the pointof a short compression ofthe burnt gases still Fig. 1, when asillustrated in Pos. 8-of Fig. 3 contained in the cylinder takes place,and at the valve e again closes communication bethe point 1 then beginsthe renewed admistween the passage L and the pssage i. A sion ofcompressed air. The workin cycle is short compression of the gases thenremaining thereupon repeated in the manner a ove dein the cylindertakesplace as indicated by the scribed.

Referring to Fig. 3,the positions ofthe pisshown in Pos. 9 of Fig. 3,the valve e again ton d', controlling valve e and cam disc g areconnects the passage h with the compressed illustrated for the cycle ofoperation above vair pipe h., Ihe cycle then repeats itself indescribed. Pos. 1 of Fig. 3 illustrates the the manner above described.

parts at the beginning of the air motor stroke Any conventional -type offuel pump and of the piston d. The valve e which is actudrivingconnection therefor can be used for ated through the cam disc g on a camshaft supplying fuel in controlledlmanner to the.

driven from the driving shaft of the locomonozzle f also anyconventional driving intertive at half the shaft speed in any Well-knownconnection from the locomotive driving axle manner,`is moving towardltheright as shown to the cam shaft Icontaining the cam disk g in this view.The valve e at this't'ime is incan be used. As shown, a gear Z is pinnedtosuch position that the intake passage k the shaft c on which isfastened the cam g.

formed within the wallof the driving cylin- The gear Z is interconnectedby a driving der. is incommunication with the pipe L chain m with apinion n pinned to the axle o which supplies compressed airfrom thepreof the locomotive.- The shaft k is thus driven heater c to thedriving cylinder, the comby the drivin axle o of the locomotive andpressedair acting upon the piston d to per# the ratio. of t e gears nand Z is such as to form `aworking stroke, 'Ehe introduction of" providea driving rati'o of one to two between compressed air is indicated inthe diagram of fthe. axle and the shaft k. Also pinned to Fig. 1 by rtheline 1 2. the shaft 1c is a cam plate p, shown in dotted In Pos. 2 ofFig..3, the valve e has been lines, this cam plate serving to drivethefuel moved to close the intake passage Il', and the pump r by 'actingupon the pump plunger r', air then within the cylinder ex ands asindithe plunger 1'" carrying a roller riding upon cated by the line 2--3of the indicator dia.- the surfaceof thecam plate p in the customgram.In Pos. 3 of Fig. 3, the valve e has ary manner. The fuel pump is of thestandbeen moved to the right a suificient distance ard cam driven typeand is connected with to open-communication betweenthe passage theinjection nozzle f by injection piping '8. h and an exhaust passage z"also formed. The cam plate p is mounted upon the shaft within the walllof the driving cylinder, s0 [c at such an angle relative to the camplate g that the air within the cylinder may exhaust that the injectionof fuel at the nozzle f takes to substantially atmospheric pressure asindicated'by theline 3-4 of Fig. 1. At the f completion of thisexhausting, the valve e and the piston d have assumed the positionsshown in Pos. 4 of Fig. 3, the passage k being again closed bythe valvee. On the return stroke of the piston the air remaining within thecylinder is then compressed to about 15 atmospheres, as indicated by the@line 4 5, of the indicator diagram. Due to at the point 5, with thethis compression, the nir is heated to a oint vsuicient to causeself-ignition of fue injected therein.

The beginning of fuel injection takes place parts as shown in e Pos. 5of Fig. 3, this fu 'injection taking place in controlledtime relationwith respect to the operation of the driving cylinder d,

this fuel linjection corresponding to Pos. 5 of Fig. 3. Thusduringoperation of the driving cylinder d with corresponding movement of the'driving axle o of the locomotive, the cam' plate p on the shaft lc isdriven by means of l' 65 place over the line 5-6 of Fig. 1. The partsdriven in coordinated time relation by means of the cam plate g, alsomounted on the driven cam shaft la.

It is thus seen that the driving cylinder of the locomotive functions asa four-cycle Diesel engine, to which compressed air from the compressorb is supplied during the suction stroke of the engine operation. Theresult is that two-cycle operation is in f act secured, as each drivingstroke of the piston is a Working stroke. The engine functions on onestroke as an air motor, and on the alternate stroke as an internalcombustion engine. Thus the driving cylinder of the locomotive functionsas a combined air motor and internal combustion engine. The operation ofthe driving cylinder is controlled by the single control valve e Whichis driven by a cam shaft in the usualmanner so that the operation iscoordinated with that of the power cylinder, this control valve eregulating the admission of compressed air to the cylinder for the airmotor Working stroke therein, the exhaust of expanded air from l thedriving cylinder after the air motor stroke therein, and the exhaust ofproducts of combustion from the driving cylinder after the internalcombustion engine Working stroke therein. The Diesel engine a, drivingthe compressor b, need'yonly furnish a. part of the power necessary inthe operation of the locomotive, the balance being furnished by theinternal combustion engine operation within the locomotive drivingcylinder. This invention enables the Diesel engine and compressor driventhereby to be built in smaller sizes, and the building of suchlocomotives is vconsiderably simplified.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferredembodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to Lthis precise form of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention whichis defined in the appended claims.-

lVhat is claimed is 1. A combined air motor and internal combus'tionengine of the character described, comprising a cylinder, a pistontherein, said cylinder having an intake passage and an exhaust passage,means for'supplying comi pressed air to said intakepassage for air motoroperation therein. on each alternate Working stroke, means for supplyingfuel to said cylinder for internal cembustion engine operation thereinon each alternate working stroke intermediate air. motor Workingvstrokes, and a single cont-rol valve for governing the admission ofcompressed air to said cylinder for the air motor operation, theexhausting of expanded air from the driving cylinder resulting from saidair motor operation, and the exhausting of products of combustion fromthe driving cylinderf resulting from said internal combustion engineoperation.

2. In a locomotive constructed for cooperatively combined air motor andDiesel engine operation in a Working cylinder, the method whichcomprises preheating compressed air, introducing the preheatedcompressed air into the cylinder for air motor expansion therein toeffect Work, coordinating the preheating of the air and the expansionthereof in the air motor operation with the compression pressure to beattained during the Diesel operation so that expanded air from the airmotor operation has a residual temperature above normal atmospherictemperatures, controlling the exhaust cut-ofi' of the air motoroperation so as to leave a predetermined amount of expanded air havingsuch residual temperature Within said cylinder with resultantrecompression thereof to the said compression pressure to attain anignition compression temperature in excess of the compressiontemperature normally resulting from i such a compression pressure, andinjecting fuel into such recompressed air with resulting self-ignitionand combustion to produce a Diesel operation and effect work, theselflignition being thereby attained in the Diesel operation Without theemployment of unduly high compression pressures.

3. An engine of the character described comprising a combined air motorand Diesel engine cylinder, means for supplying heated compressed air tosaid cylinder with resultant expansion therein to performv a Workingstroke ofair motor operation, means for controllingthe exhaust of saidexpanded air Vso as to retain a portion thereof Within said cylinderafter expansion in the air motor operation, said retained, air being ata temperature in excess of normal atmospheric tem- 'peratures `wherebyupon recompression of said remaining air to a predetermined compressionpressure of the order of fifteen atmospheres, a compression temperatureis attained suiiiciently high to induce self-ignition of fuel injectedthereinto, and means for introducingfuel into said compressed air withresultant self-ignition and combustion to produce Diesel operation onanother Working stroke.

4. In a locomotive of the character described having a driving. axle, acombined air motor and Diesel engine driving eylinder for saidlocomotive, a piston therein operatively connected to said driving axle,means for supplying highly heated compressed air to said drivingcylinder with resultant expansion for air motor operation therein to'drive said piston on one working stroke,

means driven in coordinated time relation with said piston forcontrolling the exhaust of said expanded air to retain a portion of saidair Within said cylinder sufficient to provide combustion air for aworking stroke of Diesel engine operation, the temperature of the heatedcompressed air, its expansion, and

exhausting in air motor operation being c0-k ordinated With thecompresslon pressurey to y be'attained in the Diesel operation suchthatupon recompression of said retained ai? to a compression pressure of theorder of fifteen atmospheres, a temperature is attained suliciently highto provide for self-ignition of fuel injected thereinto, and means forinjecting fuel into said recompressed air with i resultantself-ignition' and combustion for Diesel operation therein to drive saidpiston` on an alternateworking stroke.

5. In a locomotive constructed for cooperatively combined air motor andDiesel engine operation in a working cylinder, the

method which comprises introducing preheated compressed air into thecylinder for air motor expansion therein to eiect Work,

controlling the exhaust cutoif of the air motor operation so as to leavea predetermined amount of expanded air having a residual temperature aove normal atmospheric temperature within said cylinder, recompressing vsuch retained expanded air Within the cylinder to a compression pressureof the order of A15 atmospheres, and injecting fuel into suchrecompressed air with resultant selfignition and combustion to produce aDiesel operation and effect WorlL In testimony whereof I hereto affix mysignature.

JOSEF GEIGER.

